Charles-illa to make tour as royal bigs

Charles and Camilla have booked the first royal tour of their time as the United Kingdom’s king and queen consort.

The “first state visit of the new reign” will take Charles and Camilla to France and Germany from March 26 to March 31, Buckingham Palace announced Friday.

“The visit will celebrate Britain’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values,” the palace noted in its announcement. “It will also provide an opportunity to look forwards and demonstrate the many ways the U.K. is working in partnership with France and Germany, whether that be to tackle climate change, respond to the conflict in Ukraine, seize trade and investment opportunities, or share the best of our arts and culture.”

Charles and Camilla will also have “engagements highlighting the importance of sustainability and community” and “opportunities to reflect on the sacrifices and challenges of our shared past, out of which has come an enduring legacy of cooperation and reconciliation,” according to Buckingham Palace.

While in France between March 26 and March 29, the royals will join French president Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Macron for a ceremony of remembrance at the Arc de Triomphe. They will also open a new Manet and Degas exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, see wildfire devastation in Bordeaux, tour an organic vineyard and be guests of honor at a state banquet at Versailles, among other stops.

Charles, 74, and Camilla, 75 — who are gearing up for their coronation in May — are no strangers to either country. As People reports, the king has made 35 official visits to France and 29 to Germany, while the queen consort has made eight to France and three to Germany.